Ep. 76: Friendly vs. Friend: Setting Boundaries With Your Team

You opened yourself up. You shared your heart, bought the coffees, said yes to every request, became the kind of boss people loved. And then one day you found yourself fuming over something small, exhausted by everything, quietly resentful of the culture you built. This episode is for every leader who got so busy taking care of everyone else that they forgot to take care of the business, and themselves. Sara and Marisa dig into a real listener question about where vulnerability ends and over-exposure begins, and what it actually looks like to lead with warmth and a spine at the same time.

🔥 In This Episode:

• Sara gets raw about hiring friends, becoming a mother figure to her team, and the slow build of resentment that forced her to finally have the hard conversations
• Why over-giving does not create loyalty, it creates entitlement, and how to recognize that pattern before it derails your culture
• The 10-minute vulnerability practice Sara uses in leadership meetings that creates real connection without blurring the lines of authority
• Marisa on how team turnover can send you into a spiral of "was I enough" and how that spiral quietly poisons your next round of hiring decisions
• The temperature check every leader needs: are you resting, or are you running on empty and calling it dedication?

You can build a team that feels deeply human and still hold a clear line between friendship and leadership. Those two things were never meant to cancel each other out.

If you are in a season of rebuilding your leadership from the inside out, we want you at HeartWork Leadership Live on March 13 and 14 in Knoxville. This is the room where that work actually happens. Reserve your spot here: https://theheartworklife.myflodesk.com/rfi6abz6yv

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• Instagram: @drsaranelsongray, @dr.marisa.nicole10, @theheartworkpodcast

Email: support@theheartworklife.com